I. Field of the Invention
This invention pertains to a network communication system providing efficient trunk allocation based on customer needs. More particularly, the present invention relates to a network communication system having international trunk allocation to a particular country based on that country's national and religious holidays, for improved rate of call completion. Most particularly, the present invention is directed to a network communication system having efficient international trunk allocation based on customer needs while providing users with information regarding holidays and/or events observed in the dialed countries.
II. Description of the Related Art
Present communication systems have a finite bandwidth or number of trunks through which calls can be connected, with each trunk representing a voice circuit or connection. The finite bandwidth is usually divided among a plurality of applications or services such, for example, as so-called 1-900 lines, business lines, private customer lines, etc. The volume of calls for these applications or services vary not only during the days of the week, i.e. as between weekdays and weekends, but also during the hours of each day. For example, during an average work week, the volume of calls from private customer phone lines will be greatest on Monday through Friday during non-business hours and on weekends. On the other hand, the volume of calls from business phone lines will be greatest during traditional business hours and will decrease at other times, such as weekends and weeknights.
Existing long-distance or international communication systems account for the change or shift in user traffic by allocating available trunks according to a schedule that is based on the day of the week and the time of day. Such an allocation schedule is typically stored in a database compiled over a duration of time which pre-dates the current date, i.e the date when the particular international call is made. For example, and with regard to private customer and business uses, the database will store all traffic information for a two-week period and utilize this information to re-configure the existing trunks. Thus, if 510 total trunks are available and, based on the prior two-week history, 500 trunks are needed on Monday through Friday between the hours of 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. to accommodate calls from businesses, i.e. business calls, the database will convey this information to a signalling network or international switching station which will allocate the existing trunks so that 500 trunks are designated for business use whereas the remaining 10 trunks will be available for private customer use, i.e. calls from private phone lines. At 6 p.m., however, the database will, for example, notify the switching station of a further re-configuration based on the prior history stored in the database so as to decrease the number of business trunks and provide for additional private customer use trunks.
One drawback associated with existing communication systems which re-configure and re-allocate trunks between use types based on prior use history is that prior use history does not take into account or consideration irregularities or deviations in user demand that result from holidays or events which may occur on or during weekdays. The occurrence of a holiday in a particular country during the work week results in a reduced volume of business calls to and from that particular country because at least most businesses in that country are, in all likelihood, closed. At the same time, a rise in the volume of private customer calls to the particular country may occur as customers choose to call foreign relatives on the specific holiday. The end result of a lack of re-allocation between commercial trunks and private customer trunks in the event a holiday which occurs on a weekday is that business trunks remain unused while numerous private calls will not be connected due to the unavailability of sufficient circuits to satisfy private customer demand.
Another drawback of existing communication systems is that there is no mechanism or technique employed or available to alert and inform business and private customers of the existence of a particular holiday in a specific country that is being dialed. Such information is useful in many instances. For example, if a United States user is calling a business in France on a French national holiday, the user may not be aware that the business is closed until, for example, a recorded message is replayed, i.e. until after the call is connected and the long distance charge is assessed against the user's account. If, on the other hand, the user is made aware of the holiday before the line is connected, the user can terminate the connection and call at a later date. In addition, circumstances may arise where a user would welcome or desire information about a particular country's holiday before the date of that holiday so that, for example, greetings and good wishes can be provided on the appropriate date during a subsequent telephone call.